The starting right tackle for the Colorado football team, Nembot stands 6 feet, 7 inches tall and he tips the scales at about 305 pounds.

When he's not smiling, he looks like he could break another man with little problem. And, with monstrous hands and exceptional strength, he probably could.

"He is a strong, big man," said Gary Bernardi, CU's offensive line coach.

It doesn't take long, however, to realize that Nembot might be the most kind-hearted and gentle person in a CU uniform.

"He's violent on the field, he's smart on the field, but off the field, he's smart and he's very spiritual," Bernardi said. "The guy is a wonderful person."

Entering his third season at CU, Nembot is a redshirt sophomore who could wind up with a lucrative career in the National Football League. The NFL is a distant thought for Nembot, however.

A native of Douala, Cameroon, located in central Africa, Nembot's mind is often turned to those around him, rather than to himself.

It has been five years since Nembot left his family in Cameroon, and he hasn't seen them since. Discovered by a scout at a basketball camp in his hometown, Nembot was told he had a future on the hardwood. His parents, who are "really poor," he said, sold part of their house to pay for his plane ticket to the United States.

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He landed at Montclair Prep in Van Nuys, Calif., a school that closed its doors 13 months ago. He was there to play basketball, but mainly to get an education.

"I promised my parents ... I will work hard and find scholarship for college, which is what I did," he said.

The football coach at Montclair Prep convinced Nembot he could have a better future on the gridiron, so Nembot gave it a shot in 2009, as a high school junior. By the fall of 2010, he had caught the eye of several major college recruiters. Impressed by many college programs, Nembot ultimately decided to come to Boulder.

Since his career with the Buffaloes began, Nembot has been collecting everything about himself, items such as newspaper clippings, photos and videos. His parents have never seen him play football, and really have no idea what he looks like these days. He said he doesn't send any packages to them because it would cost them too much money to receive them.

"I save (the items) because one day I will just put everything together and show it to them in person. I hope," he said.

His mother, Esther, and father, Richard, make sure he calls home every Sunday. He is from the French-speaking region of Cameroon, but his mother has him also speak the dialect from the Bafoussam tribe in which he grew up.

Nembot often thinks of his parents, his older brother and his younger sister. But, he doesn't forget about other people who have very little, including many in his native Cameroon.

He helped to feed the homeless while he was in high school, and continues to give of his time now. Nembot works with a charity organization that collects used shoes, cleans them up and ships them to Africa. His CU teammates donate their old shoes to help him out.

"Sometimes in life, what you might think is not good for you might be really, really precious for someone else who doesn't have anything," Nembot said of why he helps others. "I never knew I'd be coming to the U.S. For the fact that God gave me that blessing, put people in the right spot for me at the right time, who offered me a scholarship to come to the U.S., I just think I've got to give it back.

"I promised God in my dreams; every time I begged him that if he sent me to the U.S., I would go there, make money and just give that money away, helping people. That's what I'm doing. Whenever I can help somebody, I will help. Sometimes people think you have to be rich to help somebody. I don't believe so. With a dollar, you can save somebody's life in Africa. If you can do that with a dollar in Africa, anything is possible."

Bernardi could tell right away that Nembot was a special person. He was impressed with the way young kids would flock to Nembot after a scrimmage or practice.

"That tells you something about the young man," Bernardi said. "If you get to know him, it adds a lot to you as an individual and it makes you respect the good things we have in America.

"The guy, he has a big heart and he's got great morals."

Nembot also has great potential. He came to CU as a defensive end, but before the 2011 season opener, he asked former head coach Jon Embree if he could switch to offense. He redshirted that season so he could learn how to play tackle. Last year, Nembot started seven games at right tackle, but was limited in what he could do.

"(Embree) told me I was the No. 1 run blocker on the team, so all they did, they ran the play off me to go run and open the gap," he said. "Last year, they would have made a mistake to let me pass protect."

This year, however, Nembot is feeling much more comfortable with pass protection, which allows him to stay on the field more often.

"I'm pretty happy about that," he said. "When I put the two together, I think I will be at my best."

True to his nature, Nembot's desire to be at his best comes from the fact that he knows fellow linemen Jack Harris and Gus Handler, along with CU's other seniors, need him to be.

"I've got to give everything I've got to try to get better and get them to a bowl game," he said. "I would like that when I'm senior, the younger guys do the same for me. So, I'm planning on doing the same for them."

Although Nembot said he doesn't think about the NFL, the NFL might start thinking about him one day.

"He has a lot of things that people are going to be very interested in," Bernardi said.

Whether his future is in the NFL or some other line of work -- he is majoring in international affairs -- Nembot dreams of one day having the money he needs to return home and see the family he misses dearly.

"Whenever I've got the funds, trust me that will be the first thing I do," he said. "I pray every day for God to keep them alive while I'm working here."

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